Multiple-signature machine.



W. F. WILLIAMS.

MULTIPLE SIGNATURE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8, 1914.

1,131,451 Patented Mar.9,1915,

THE NORRIS PETERS Q0 PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTUN, D- C.

W. P. WILLIAMS. MULTIPLE SIGNATURE MACHINE.

APPLIQATION FILED AUG. 8, 1914v 1,131,451 Patented Mar.9,1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WHESSES QQ/I k W/amoe B) ATTORNEYS THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHPTO-LLTHQ.WASHINGTON. D. c.

WILLIAM FRANK WILLIAMS, OF MIAMI, ARIZONA.

MULTIPLE-SIGNATURE MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

Application filed August 8, 1914. Serial No. 855,886.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAMI FRANK WILLIAMS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Miami, in the county of Gila and State ofArizona, have invented a new and Improved lVlultiple-Signature Machine,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to apparatus of the general character set forthin Letters Patent of the United States issued to me on the 16th day ofJune, 1914, No. 1,100,513.

Among the objects of this invention, therefore, is to improve andpracticalize in a satisfactory manner the mechanism of my previousdevice in a number of specific and important details.

More definitely stated, in this present invention I provide improvedforms of sup porting bearings for the several relatively movable parts,whereby friction is practically eliminated, allowing free swinging andsliding movements as are required for a suc cessful operation of thedevice.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a novel adjustable springconnection between the base and the pen mechanism, wherebycounterweights are dispensed with and whereby I am enabled to secure amore uniform counterbalancing elfect or result than heretofore.

A still further object of the invention is to increase the efficiency ofthe device with respect to the individual pen clamps.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will hereinafter bemore fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings forminga part of this specification in which like characters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 isa plan View of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing theparts in position for operation; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectionthrough the base and pen mechanism substantially on the broken line 2-2of Fig. 1; Figs. 3, 1 and 5 are vertical views of details, parts beingin section on the corresponding lines of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a detailof a modification of means for connecting the holder to the master pen.

The several parts of the device may be made of any suitable materials,and the relative sizes and proportions, as well as the general design ofthe mechanism, may be varied to a considerable extent without departlngfrom the spirit of the invention hereinafter more fully described andspecifically claimed.

At 10 I show a base of any suitable size and construction shown hereinas including a metallic plate 11 having a flat smooth sur face adaptedto support a plurality of papers or documents to be written uponsimultaneously with the several pen connectlons.

At 12 I show a riser serving to bring the writers hand and forearm inproper elevation wlth respect to the writing instruments.

At 13 I show a gage or guide having an upwardly extending straight edgeor flange 14. This gage is adapted to be secured at any desired positionthrough screw and slot connections with the base as shown at 15. Thisgage, therefore, serves to position the work in a uniform manneraccording to its size, etc.

The numeral 16 indicates a pair of brackets secured to the right handedge of the base and projecting upwardly therefrom. Between thesebrackets extends a main or rock shaft 17 journaled on cone or pointbearings 18 supported by the upper ends of the brackets and whereby themain shaft is held in a substantially fixed position axially but allowedto rotate freely within certain limits within the scope of theapparatus. A pen bar 19 is arranged above the base plate 11 and ismaintained in parallelism with the rock shaft and with the edge of thebase by means of a pair of links 20 and arms 21. The links 20 areconnected at one end by pivots 22 to the opposite ends of the pen rodand at their other ends they are pivoted at 28 to the ends of the arms21. All of these pivots have their axes arranged parallel to one anotherand extending substantially vertically. The arms 21 are somewhat in thenature of bell cranks and are shown herein as extending through eyes orloops :24 in the opposite ends of the rock shaft 17 where they arepivoted on cone pivots 25, the axes of which also are parallel to thoseof the pivots just described. The arms 21 are maintained in parallelismby means of a connecting rod 26 pivoted at 27 to the outer ends of thearms. It will be understood, therefore, that the rock shaft 17, pen rod19, links 20, arms 21 and connecting rod 26 have their axes allsubstantially in the same plane, and said axes are so maintained,allowing,

however, practically unlimited and unrestricted pivotal movements of theseveral parts around the pivots through which they are connected. Inother words, the pen rod 19 is free to be moved either longitudinally orlaterally or in any direction as a. combination of these movements, itbeing maintained, however, always parallel to the rock shaft 17 by meansof the links 20 and arms 21.

At 28 I show what I may term a master pen, and at 28 I show a series ofauxiliary pens. By the term pen, as used herein, Wish to be understoodas covering any suitable device for making a mark. These pens arearranged in socket members 29, said socket members being in the form ofhollow sleeves clamped upon the pen shanks 30 and secured in definiteposition therein by means of lock nuts 31. These socket members are allof the same character and have their axes arranged at a definite anglewith respect to the axis of the pen rod 19. These several socket members29 are secured for adjustment around the axis of the pen rod by means ofclamps 32 and set screws 33. By this means, therefore, I am able toadjust the pens so that their points are all in alinement and have theiraxes lying in the same plane. The shank of the master pen has associatedwith it a universal joint 34 and a pen holder 35 which is grasped by thewriter and through which the apparatus is controlled.

In order to relieve the operator from the dragging efiect of the severalpens due to the weight of the pen mechanism, I provide means cooperatingwith the rock shaft to tend to lift the pens from the base. This meansincludes a lever 36 clamped at 37 to the rock shaft 17 substantiallymidway between the brackets 16. This lever 36 is shown as projectingsubstantially downwardly, and its lower end is connected by means of aspring 38 to a screw 39 adjust able longitudinally through a bracket 40fixed to the upper surface of the base at the right hand side of thegage 13. The screw 39 is adjustable longitudinally through its supportby means of a nut 41 whereby the force of the spring 38 may be varied atwill and in accordance with the degree of pres sure desired to be hadfrom the pen points upon the paper. I also provide a pair of liftingbars 42 each having a hub 43 and ball bearing connections with a pivotstud 44 rigidly secured to a clamp 45 secured to the rock shaft 17.These studs 44 have their axes parallel to each other and at rightangles to the axis of the main shaft. Hence the bars 42 are free toswing around the axes of the studs in a plane parallel to the plane ofthe several bars, links and arms earlier described. The force of thespring 38 acting through the lever 36 and rock shaft tends to lift theleft hand or free ends of the lifting bars. The pen rod 19 is suspendedfrom these bars 42 by means of a pair of swivels 46, each 'swivelbeingconnected by a clamp 47 to the pen rod and having at its upper end anantifriction roller 48 adapted to roll freely along the upper edge ofthe bar 42. which extends through the swivel yoke. The axis of eachswivel is at right angles to the axis of the pen rod and issubstantially perpendicular to the two parallel planes just described.The main shaft 17, the pen rod 19 and the two lifting bars 42 in effectform a parallelogram, and during the operation of the machine the anglesof this figure may vary at will, the swivel yokes 46 rotating freelyaround their axes while the hubs 43 at the other ends of the liftingbars roll freely around their studs 44. Furthermore, while the pen rodis moved bodily toward the right or left, the antifriction rollers 48support the same freely upon the upper edges of the bars 42 withoutmaterial resistance or friction.

In order to obviate the danger of the force of the spring 38 distortingthe main shaft or causing the cone bearings 18 thereof to be strained, Imay employ a pair of guard bearings 49 embracing the main shaft adjacentits opposite ends, said bearings, being secured to the base insubstantial alinement' with the main brackets 16.

In order to limit the movement of the pen rod toward the right andprevent the pens from striking the gage 13, I provide stop members forthe lifting bars 42, said stop members being in the nature of adjustableU-shaped saddles 50, each of which may be fixed in the desired positionby means of a set screw 51.

In some cases it may be desirable to dispense withthe riser 12 andconnect the pen holder 45 through a universal joint 34 to the master penby means of a peculiar form of clamp 31. This clamp, as shown in Fig. 6,comprises a strap-like device passed around any suitable part of theshank 30 and there secured by means of a screw or rivet 31". The socketportion of the universal joint provided by this clamp 31 is projected orextended downwardly far enough so as to bring the holder into easy ornatural holding position with respect to the plane of the plate 11.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a machine of the class set forth, thecombination with a main rock shaft, a pen rod and links and armspivotally connected to the shaft and rod to maintain them in constantparallelism, of a lifting device for the pen rod comprising a pair ofbars pivotally connected at one end to the shaft, a pair of swivelsconnected to the pen rod, each swivel carrying an antifriction roller,

the other ends of the lifting bars passing freely through the swivelsand engaging with said rollers, and a series of pens carried by the penrod.

2. In a device of the character set forth, the combination with a mainrock shaft, a pen rod, a plurality of pens carried by the pen rod andmeans connecting the shaft and rod to maintain them in constantparallelism, of lifting devices acting upwardly upon the pen rod andpens, said lifting devices including means tending to rotate the rockshaft, and a pair of lifting bars ex tending between the rock shaft andthe pen rod and having their opposite ends connected by antifrictionbearings to said shaft and rod.

3. In a device of the character set forth, the combination with twoparallel members and means to maintain said members in constantparallelism, of a pair of bars forming with said parallel members asubstantial parallelogram, antifriction ball bearings between one ofsaid parallel members and said bars providing free angular movement, anda pair of swivels clamped to the other parallel member and each swivelcarrying an antifriction roller cooperating with the upper edge of thebar passing freely through the swivel.

I. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of a base, aplurality of bearings extending upwardly therefrom in alinement with oneanother, a rock shaft journaled in said bearings, pen mechanismconnected for free movement with respect to the rock shaft, and liftingmeans for the pen mechanism comprising a lever secured to the rock shaftbetween the bearings and extending downwardly therefrom, a fixedbracket, a spring connected at one end to the lower end of the lever,and a screw connected to the other end of the spring and adjustablyconnected to said bracket.

5. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of a base, apair of bearings secured to the base and extending upwardly therefrom, arock shaft journaled at its ends in said bearings, pen mechanismsupported for universal movement upon said rock shaft, lifting mechanismtending to rotate the rock shaft and acting toward one side of the same,and a pair of guard bearings embracing the shaft and serving to resistlateral strain thereon due to said lifting mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

E. H. THOMAS, F. L. BISHOP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

